Headlight for vehicles.



PATENTED APR. 16, 1907.

PI G. FRANKENBERG. I

HEADLIGHT FOR VEHICLES. APPLIGATIONTILED SEPT. 18. 1905.

- s sHnETs-sHBsT 1.

- PATEQNTED APR. 16, 1907.

F. G. FRANKENBERG.

HEADLIGHT FOR VEHICLES.

APPLICATION FILED 8EPT.18| 1905.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

\ if E a 4 1 4/ i Li v @flefiir No.850,570. PATENTED APR.16,190'7.

F. G. PRANKBNBERG.

HEADLIGHT FOR VEHICLES. Arrmoulon FILED SE'PT'.1B.'1905.

tical-section through the headlight and the.

UNITED STATES PA ENT orrron.

FREDERICK e. FRANKENBERG, or CHICAGO, ILLINoIs.

HEADLIGHT FOR VIEYHIO'LES.

Specification of Letters Patent. Application filed September 18, 1905. Serial No. 278,840.

Patented April 16, 1907.

To. wZZ whom it mcty concern.-

Be it known that I, FREDERICK G. FRANK- ENBERG, a citizen of the United States of America, and aresident of Chicago, county of Cook, and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Headlights for Vehicles, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to headlights for vehicles, and more particularly for automo- 'biles. I I w The object of my invention is to rovide superior means for supporting and a justing thelight and for driving the dynamo for the production of an electric light.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a partial view of an automoble, showing invention in elevation. Fig. 2 is a versupporting and driving mechanism. Fig. 3

- is a front elevation of the headlight itself.

' Fig. 4 is a section on line 4 4.0f Fig.2:

headlight-case.

gasolene-engine.

Flg.

5 is a section on line 5 5 of Fig. 2. Fig. 6

shows an arrangement for holding the carbons in line when an arc-light is used, and Fig; 7 shows an incandescent light held in the In Figs. 1 and 2, A is a friction-diskwhich is driven by the motor which drives the vehicle. This motor may be of any kind, the most common form in present use being a The disk A may, however, be driven by an 'auxiliary'm'otor when so desired. Thedisk A engages and drives a roller A which is su ported by a bearing A secured to the floor of the vehicle. Bevelgears may be used instead of the friction device shown. On the top of the floor B .is secured a standard C, which is hollow on the inside and finished on the outside. Arranged. to slide on the outsideof the standard C is a sleeve-C and secured to this is a piece C, the upper end of which is a on arranged to re ceive the globular portion of the tubular extension D. Surrounding the parts C and D is a clamp E, secured by a screw E. These parts form a'balland-socket joint by which the extension D may be adjusted or inclined with respect to the standard C. The

clamp associated with the .ball-and-s'ocket joint serves to secure the extension at any desired adjustment. Arranged to swivel on the u per part of the extension D is a bearing F, w 'chis secured to or forms part of the through the interior of thestandard in the ball-and-s0cket joint C D.

would otherwise be possible.

casing F. The swiveling-joint between D and F is provided with a moderate amount turning the light in any direction.

From the roller A a shaft extends u ward the extension D, and the bearing F and termi- .nates in a bevel-gear H, which meshes with another bevel-gear on the shaft of the dyna mo Gr. The art H of this shaft terminates in a universal joint H which is locatedwith- The part of the shaft H which connects the universal joint H to the roller. A is preferably a flexible shaft, thoughit maybe a rigid shaft with a slip-joint.

Inside of the standard G and under the cup C, is a spring C the object of which is to support tie weight of the upper parts. This spring relieves the'headlight of a. considerable part of the jar incidental to running a vehicle of this kind, the sleeve Ctsliding up and downon the standard to accommodate variations in the compression of the spring The flexibility of the shaft H also ac commodates variations in the. distance between the roller A and the universal joint H due to vertical movementsof .the upper parts. and-socket joint permits the light to be pro j ected in a greater variety of directions than Thus if it be desirable to project the light downward at the .side of the vehicle the ball-and-socket joint and the universal joint permit the ex tension D to bemoved over to a nearly horizontal position, after which the swivel mits the light to be turned downward.

In case the source of power for driving the vehicle is a storage battery and electric motor the incandescent light shown in Fig. 7 may be used. In such a case the interior per- The universal joint within the ball shaft with its universal joint is omitted, and the ball-and-socket joint and the swivel at the top of the extension are all that are necessary to permit the light to be projected in 1 any desired Although ducing the direction. i

I have provided means for revibration of the headlight as much as possible, there is necessarily more 1 or less vibration, which is injurious to electric lights. To overcome this difficulty, I i have devised a special form of carbons for arc-lights to be used in headlights for vej hicles. These carbons K have central longij tudinal openings K, and the two carbons of a light are loosely mounted u on an interior rod K ,.of hard asbestos or otfier similar substance, as shown in Fig. 6. This rod has a small collar K the ofiice of which is to prevent the carbon ti s coming into contact l with each other. T 's asbestos rod is anonconductor of electricity and will resist the heat of the arc-light. It serves to keep the two carbons in line against the jarring action of the vehicle, while at the same time it permits the carbons to be freely fed toward each other as they wear away.

It will be evident that the standard C and the extension D taken together furnish an elevated support, or what may be called a stand, .upon which the headlight is swiveled'; also, that this stand is jointed at a point intermediate its ends, so that the light, may be inclined in any course the sleeve C might be secured toan elevated part of the vehicle, but in such a case the elevated part of the vehicle would itself be the equivalent of the standard C.

It will be apparent that mounting the dynamo G within the casing F not only furnishes a complete protection for the dynamo,

butthat the'weight of the dynamoserves to counterbalance theenlarged part- F also that the bevel-gear connection between the shaft H and the dynamo permits the svn'veling operation without aifecting the light.

NV hat 1 claim is 1. The combination with a vehicle, of a stand mounted upon-and secured to said vehicle, a headlight carried upon the upper end of said stand and swivelingly connected thereto, and a joint in said stand intermediate its ends whereby said headlight is manually adjustable to positions other than the swiveling positions.

2-. The combinationwith a vehicle, of a standard supported by said vehicle, a second standard slidably supported above the firstnamed standard and provided with a joint intermediate its ends, a spring inclosed by the lower standard and serving to support the upper standard, and an electric light supported on the upper standard and operated j by energy conveyed through the interior of said standards.

3. The combination with a vehicle, and a headlight therefor, of a support for said power from the source to light consisting of a plurality of sections, one

of said sections being slidably connected to another section, a spring between the sections and serving to support the weight of the upper one, a light supported on the upper end of the upper section, and a joint near the. lower end of the upper section, substantially as described.

4. The combination with Y a casing, of a stand upon which said casing is swiveled, a joint in said stand intermediate its ends whereby said casing may-be moved manually in different vices in said casing, power through the jointed stand to cause the operation of theelectric-lighting devices.

5. The combination with a casing, and a dynamo supported therein, of a stand upon which said casing is supported, a joint in said directions, electric-lightingdeand means forconveying stand intermediate its ends whereby said i casing may be moved manually different directions, .and means for conveyfim power through said (jointed stand to cause t e operation of said ynamo.

6. The combination with a vehicle furnishing a source of power, of yieldingly supported at an elevated positlon on said vehicle, means by which said headlight is manually adjustable to diflerent osian electric headlight desired direction. Of j tions, connections forconveying energy om due to the yielding character of its suppprt.

. 7. The combination with a vehicle furnishmg a source of power, of a jdinted stand sup ported on said vehicle and manually adjustable to different positions, a dynamo sup,

ported on said stand, a shaft forconveymg the dynamo, and a joint in said shaft corresponding to the joint in said standv S. The combination with a vehicle furnishing a source of power, of a jointed stand supported on said vehicle and manually adjustable-to difiercnt positions, a dynamo carried on said stand, a shaft extending through the interior of said stand for conveying power from the source to the dynamo, and a universal joint in said shaft coincident with the joint in said stand.

9. The combination with a vehicle furnishing a source of power, a stand divided into upper and lower sections, aspring between the sections, a dynamo supported on the u per section, shaft extending through t e sections for conveying power from the source to the dynamo, and means for compensating for -variations in the driving distance between the source of'power and the dynamo due to variations in compression of spring.

10.. The combination with a vehicle, and a Signed at Chicago, Illinois, this 16th day heziidliglht ltherefin', of a, Stand supgoilted on of September, 1905. saii ve iic e sa-ic stand bein rovi e at its j1 T upper end Wit-he swiveling c n iiection to said I BREDLRIOK FRANKE) BERG ,5 headlight and having a joint intermediate its Witnesses:

en'ds whereby the swiveling connection may A. L. BUCHANAN, be moved in diiierent directiqns. C. L. REDFIELD. 

